Man and his activities are like the air we breathe in. You may not see them, but their presence can be felt in every nook and corner of the world. For example, a war between two Asian countries can uproot a rainforest in South America or Australia.
Let us go deeper.
Much of the arms, weapons, and other war defence machinery needed during wars, are made using forest resources such as timber and rocks. Nations at war often have to buy or sell weapons from huge companies or foreign countries. The debts thus incurred are usually paid back by selling these forest assets to the provider. Forest land is cleared off to set up military or refugee camps as well.
Road construction is another grave concern. As read earlier, many of the resources required by men are within the inaccessible interiors of the forests. Activities like oil extraction, mining, ranching, etc., force the governments or private companies to destroy thousands of trees and supporting vegetation that stand as obstacles.
Illegal timber trade and animal poaching too flourish under these circumstances. Animals are threatened and move out of their peaceful dwellings. The humidity and temperature of the soil and air are also affected adversely.
The pollution arising from such activities has affected the purity of the air and the quality of water in the rivers of rainforests to an almost irreparable extent! Acid rain, an after-effect of air pollution, causes the burning of vegetation. Acidification of soil and water is also a common problem that questions the sustainability of rainforests.
Picture Credit : Google